


Crayon Record Store

by FalseDevotion



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: And that's all I guess, Crush at First Sight, Crushes, Fluff, M/M, SO MUCH FLUFF, i think at least, literally this is so sweet it will give you cavities, record store
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-28 03:47:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19804069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FalseDevotion/pseuds/FalseDevotion
Summary: He distantly heard the last of the chatter dying away as the front door closed, the second performer giving her thanks to Ashton before leaving too. Calum was just too focused on Luke, his eyes sparkling in the low light, his breath hitting Calum’s face, his thumb slowly caressing his face, making even the littlest of hairs back in Calum’s neck stand straight up.“They look like two puppies trying to court each other.” Calum heard Michael whisper to Ashton, but he tuned it out.or,Calum sees Luke for the first time and is struck by his beauty.





	Crayon Record Store

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sandy_fletcher](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandy_fletcher/gifts).



> I'm like, a shit-ton of days late (more like, five, but you get me) , but...here it is!!!!!!!! Happy Belated Birthday @sandy_fletcher ! This is my way of gifting you something because I'm just a klutz and like, this is so sweet it can pass up as ur birthday *Cake*!  
> Excuse my shitty pun, and I hope you enjoy this nonsense i wrote like a madwoman during this week. Hehe (also, excuse the title... u know I'm bad at them and this just seemed fitting hahahahhaha) Love ya!
> 
> To the rest of you, I am sorry for this mess with barely a plot to follow. My head isn't what it was and I'm finding that I have it harder to write now that I've kind of lost the habit, so... sorry! Hope u can enjoy the fluff anyways hahhaha

Calum took the stairs down towards the old record shop as he had done a thousand times before. It was late, almost closing time, but he knew the owner from all his previous visits –and countless custom orders that the guy, Ashton, always got for him, even rare editions and shit– and he didn’t think he would find a problem to go in.

The entrance was as poorly lighted as always, and Calum thought back to the first time Michael dragged him here, insisting he had found the _‘bestest old record store ever, cheap but quality music all in one place’_. The hyperactive boy had ended up working there as a part-time assistant. That was how much him and Calum had spent on Crayon Record Store on a weekly basis. People had started to ask Michael questions, and he had just known where everything was from countless browsing through the catalogue. Ashton had eventually realised that he could use Michael’s knowledge of obscure and rare bands to his advantage, too, and the rest was history.

Plus, the store was just lovely. Had an artsy decor, walls stuffed with old records and cds, posters peeling off the walls but so precious. Calum loved the feel of it all. Located in an no longer working subterranean car park and without any indication from outside to point the path towards it, it was a place people only knew thanks to mouth to mouth advertising. That, and the little café corner where Ashton sometimes had people come over to do acoustic sets. It was just the right kind of place for Calum, who often felt more at home there, swallowed by the unbelievably comfortable armchair cushions on the corner of the café, than at his own house.

There was nary a person in sight when he finally came through the doors, sighing contentedly at the first gush of cold air coming from the AC above. The only sounds came from the money from the cash register being counted by one of Ashton’s workers and the forever present jazz music the older guy liked listening to. Calum nodded towards the girl and went straight for the back door where he knew he would probably find Ashton. However, a conversation behind one of the tallest shelves made him stop right on his tracks. He could see the top of someone’s head from the other side, towering over the stacked shelves. Whoever that was had to be freakishly tall.

“I’m so glad the shop is going well.” A deep voice was saying, and it certainly wasn’t _Ashton’s_.

“It’s been a good quarter. And we’re having more and more people show up, especially the days we bring artists over to _sing_.” Ashton continued, his tone meaningful at the end in a way Calum did not understand. It made him frown, but he wasn’t lost long. ‘Tall-guy’ –how his mind had named the bloke– answered Ashton with a snort, and then everything was clear.

“I’ve told you a million times before, Ash. I’m not gonna play for a crowd. _You_ do that.” He said, and Calum’s ears perked up, unconsciously taking a step forward and putting his ear next to the shelves.

“It isn’t like it’s a _crowd_ , there’s barely twenty people every Friday.” Ashton tried.

Calum suppressed a chuckle. Twenty was more than he had ever seen, and he had been there every friday since Ashton implemented that feature on the shop. He heard some shuffling in the shelves on the other side of the hallway, the tall guy browsing through the LPs, and he adjusted to the left in fear of them just seeing him there listening in. Calum couldn’t help it, though. There was something about Tall-guy’s voice that made him want to listen in.

“I told you I keep the good ones in the back.” Calum heard Ashton giggle, and the shuffling stopped.

“Good ones such as?”

“I got a Cat Stevens first edition.” Ashton said smugly, and Calum’s eyes widened. _What_. _Had Ashton really found it? Was that why he had asked him to come down today after work?_ Shit.

“What? Really, Ash? You’re not kidding me?” Tall-guy asked excitedly. “Can I have it?”

“Nope. It’s already spoken for, Luke.” Ashton said. “One of our best customers asked me if I could look for it, and I was really lucky.”

Ashton better be holding on to that thing about it being spoken for, Calum had asked for it _ages_ ago. And yes. He was the _best customer_ the older man was speaking about. His bank account had a record to show that.

“Which one you got?”

“ _Tea for Tillerman._ “

“You’re shitting me.” Tall-guy –apparently, _Luke_ – laughed incredulously. It made Calum lean in slightly towards the shelf, his heart giving a lurch out of nowhere. “You’re actually telling me you’ve really been able to get your hands on a first edition of _Tea for the Tillerman_?” He asked.

“Yeah.” Ashton answered him with a giggle, and it made Calum frown.

“How the hell did you manage that?” The guy asked again, awed, and something in his voice sent a shiver down Calum’s spine, his heart fluttering again.

It was…

It was weird. He just realised... Calum felt _attracted_ to his voice. _His voice_. What the fuck.

“Had almost given up on finding it until one of my co-workers found it in a yard-sale. I really couldn’t believe it. Perfect condition, too.” Ashton answered excitedly.

“Oh god, what I would give to be that customer.” The tall guy sighed before letting out a chuckle. “I really envy whoever that is. Give me his number, I want to talk to him to make an arrangement.”

And Calum felt butterflies flying in his stomach. _What the fuck._ One chuckle and a nice voice, a suggestive –not really, but his mind certainly interpreted it that way– comment, and he was already like this? Clearly, it had been some time since he last had a semblance of a crush on anyone and it was _showing_. He had to give himself a stern talk about calming the butterflies in his belly, but then Ashton started talking and they all went to shit.

“I called him to come pick it up today, I can save it for you if he doesn’t show.” Ashton whispered, and that just couldn’t be, no matter how hot this stranger’s voice sounded.

“Don’t you dare, Irwin! That LP is mine!” He grumbled as he skidded down the rest of the hallway, catching himself on the stack of shelves and almost knocking himself on it when he saw who was standing at the other end of the hallway next to Ashton.

It was an _angel_.

A fucking beautiful curly golden-haired, blue eyed, _angel_. Built as fuck. Leather jacket. Tight pants. White shirt. Beautiful eyes. Perfect lips. He was only missing a halo.

And he was wearing _eyeliner_. And glitter. And _nail_ _polish_. 

Oh shit. _Oh shit_. **_Oh shit_**.

Fuck.

“Calum?”

“What?” He whipped his head right towards Ashton way too fast, grunting when he hurt himself from the whiplash.

Ashton widened his eyes, shooting looks between Calum and this guy, and Calum started to feel his cheeks redden when he realised he had been stupidly staring at this gorgeous specimen in front of him. He had even had his mouth hanging open, like a complete fool.

“Shoot. Sorry.” He mumbled, turning his eyes down low quickly. And it was a mistake, because this guy’s boots came into view and Calum didn’t know what the fuck had he done to deserve this. To deserve to be making an idiot of himself in front of what looked like the prettiest guy he had ever had the pleasure to be in the same place with.

Like really. _What had he done?_

“Eh… Um… I came to pick that up...” He started again, his eyes looking for Ashton’s and Ashton’s only. He refused to look to the other bloke. “I guess you called for that? I was just going to look for you in the back room but then I heard your conversation, I wasn’t spying or anything, it just caught my attention, and then I realised you had gotten me the LP –thank you so much for that, truly, I have been searching for it for years for my dad and I never thought I’d get to gift it to him– and then I, um, you said you were going to give it away to…” _Him_. “And that wouldn’t do, so I… rushed here.” He concluded, a little nervous laugh escaping past his lips.

“Yeah, I gathered that last part, mate.” The older boy snorted, a playful glint to his eyes and a weird smile on his face. And then Calum committed the grave mistake of looking up and to the left where the tall, real _life Prince Charming fucking look alike,_ was staring straight at him with a shy grin playing on his lips. If he could, he would take a pic just to sent to Michael and have him tell him the guy was a product of his imagination, because that was what he seemed. Too perfect to be _real_.

“Calum, this is _Luke_.” Ashton cut into his thoughts, beckoning Calum closer with his hand. His smirk was growing something awful. “He’s an old friend.”

“Hi.” Luke gave him a little wave with his hand _–huge hand–_ and that was just so _cute_. Calum felt his heart gave out and his cheeks growing even redder if that was possible. How could a guy so tall and broad look so fucking _cute_. Like shit. _Where had this man being all his life?_ Calum half registered he should have answered in some way, and he moved his hand back at this _Luke_. But his wave was weird and awkward, not _cute_.

“Hi.” He added, his eyes glancing up to the tall bloke again and finding his eyes still locked on him. It caused Calum to blush even harder. There was a little smile pulling at the blonde’s lips, and the shadow of what had to have been the place for a lip ring once upon a time. It made Calum bite his own lip unconsciously, want coursing through his veins when he looked back up and found Luke’s cheeks reddening and his eyes staring down. There was only one thing he could be looking at, and it made Calum feel something waking in his chest.

“Well, I think I’m going to go ring the LP for you, Cal.” Ashton mumbled to Luke’s right, Calum watching him get away out of the corner of his eye.

“Oh.” He said after a few seconds, but when he was about to turn to Ashton and say his thanks again, the older had already left. Great.

“So you like Cat Stevens?” Luke suddenly piped in, and having that sweet and deep voice talking directly to him made Calum’s knees weaken, like he was in a fucking romantic comedy and was the main lead meeting the love interest. Could Luke be his love interest? Was he even _gay_? Or bi or pan or whatever would mean Calum had a chance with him? He sure hoped so.

The taller sent him a hesitant smile and his shiny blue eyes and his _face_ did nothing to help Calum’s stability. He felt himself sway to the left, dizzy as fuck, and tried to hide it by casually leaning on the shelf to his right. Key word was try. He was sure he was just making a fool of himself. And Luke’s little laugh at the action made nothing but increase that feeling of embarrassment.

“I, uh… Yeah. And my dad.” He stuttered, still shaky from having someone like Luke’s attention all on him. “We have all his discography and I wanted _Tea for the Tillerman_ ‘s first edition. We kinda collect LPs.”

“That’s so cool.” The blue-eyed said excitedly. “I wish I could do that. But most of the music I listen to is just shit and probably not worth having in vinyl.” Luke concluded with a pout and Calum felt an irresistible urge to wipe it off and see him laughing. He was positive the guy had to have a lovely laugh. He _had_ to.

“I’m sure I can have you beat at listening to shit music.” Calum said eagerly, and it had the reaction he expected, Luke letting out a little incredulous giggle, the pout gone.

“Yeah? Please do.”

“Which genre do you want me to start with?” Calum made a face, thinking about where to start.

He liked what was publicly recognised as _good music_ thanks to his father, but… He had, well…, more than a few guilty pleasures he wasn’t exactly proud of. Only Ashton, because of Calum’s requests at the shop, and Michael, because of their really weird close friendship, knew about them –and laughed about them, extensively–. They were really mean with that. But Calum kind of deserved it.

“Surprise me.”

“I have the Spice Girls’ entire discography.”

“No way, man.” Luke snorted, and Calum felt his cheeks redden even more, making Luke raise his eyebrows when he realised Calum wasn’t lying. “Wait, you’re for real?” He giggled, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “Don’t tell me you have Backstreet Boys too.”

“Actually…” Calum trailed off, feeling his blush deepen. But Luke was laughing again, trying to hide his mouth behind his – _huge–_ hand as his whole body heaved with the force of his giggles, his eyes as bright as the sky in the summer.

“Shit, be my friend.” He said between giggles, and Calum’s eyes snapped upwards towards Luke’s, deep blue setting a trap for him to stay fixed there, even as he saw the blush creeping all the way down from Luke’s neck towards the skin disappearing beneath his shirt. “Wait, that was too random.” Luke continued, and Calum revelled in how much Luke’s cheeks reddened at it. “I meant. You’re funny.”

“Um…” Calum felt himself grow red at that, feeling just a tad awkward for the moment, but Luke seemed to realise, his face shifting to panic, and then he was spilling words profusely, his own cheeks reddening.

“I… Sorry. That was weird too. Sorry. I’m… I’m really awkward around new people and I really don’t know how to make friends. Still don’t know how Ash puts up with me. And you seem funny and nice and,... Please excuse my shit ass way of saying I’d like to... know you better...?” He trailed off before muttering. “Shit, I sound like a 3-year-old.”

“No worries.” Calum cut in, giggling, and Luke let out a nervous smile that made Calum’s heart flutter around in his chest, his feet subconsciously moving closer to the tall man’s. “You seem nice too.”

 _You seem nice too._ If anyone sounded like a toddler, that was Calum. What the fuck was he thinking about blurting out something as lame as _that_?

He was just about to say something to fix it when Ashton called up to him from the register, giving Calum the best way out of there he could have hoped for before he embarrassed himself further.

“I, uh, have to go pay for that.” He muttered, his eyes fleeting past Luke towards Ashton’s at the end of the hall who still had that smirk present in his lips, like he found whatever was happening highly amusing.

“Cool.” Luke replied, glancing back towards Ashton too before offering Calum a smile, and his hand. “Nice to meet you, though.” Calum raised his hand to wrap around Luke’s slowly, his eyes darting down to them as Luke shook it. Calum thought he was hanging on for longer than what would have been considered usual, but maybe that was just his wishful thinking. “Hope to see more of you around.” Luke added, releasing his hand and when Calum glanced back up, he found the blonde smiling shyly at him, blush making him look even prettier in the low light.

“Yeah. Me too.” He sighed –dreamily, Mike would roast him– at Luke, a twin smile growing in his lips. “I come here often.”

“Well, then I’ll make sure of stopping by more, too.” Luke answered.

Calum nodded, his cheeks impossibly red at that point, he was certain, and then he stepped around Luke to go to Ashton. The taller laid his hand on the small of Calum’s back to help him navigate around him, and it made Calum’s heart go off, the butterflies coming back full force.

He walked the rest of the way to the register without even noticing, and he was sure he had just slipped Ashton the wrong amount of money, but the older didn’t say anything until he had packed Calum’s purchase and handed it to him, stopping him from going away by his hand clutching Calum’s wrist.

“You should come by Friday. Luke will be here.” Ashton said, that smirk right back on his face as he glanced towards the back of the shop.

“I’m always here on Fridays.” Calum snorted, but he understood what Ashton was saying, if only slightly. “I just embarrassed myself in front of him, though. I’m hopeless.” He muttered, leaning over slightly towards Ashton.

It was weird. Despite him thinking of Ashton as something kind of like a friend after years of knowing each other, they hadn’t really ever talked about anything outside music. To suddenly be talking about a potential crush with him seemed jarring to Calum, but it still felt somehow _normal._ Like he could see himself trusting Ashton with shit like this. Emotional shit. Maybe confessing your lowest likes in music to someone made a weird connexion between people.

“Luke’s… shy too. I’m sure he understands.” Ashton whispered, a chuckle escaping him as he copied Calum, his elbows resting on the counter as he rested his face on his hands. Calum laughed back nervously, his hands clutching the record Ashton had handed him just moments ago. “But I think he liked you.” The older nodded towards the end of the hallway where Luke was eyeing them, blush still present on his cheeks as he waved to them.

“I literally told him _‘You seem nice too’_ , like a stupid child.” It again felt weird asking Ashton that, but he really had been struck by Luke. And Ashton said they were old friends. He had to know a little of what went on in his mind.

“I’m sure it wasn’t that _bad_.”

“You haven’t seen me flirt. I’m like an accident you see in slow motion that you can’t stop. It’s tragic, really.” Calum groaned, closing his eyes for a moment. “You think I have a shot?” He let out in a quiet voice.

“By the way you were both making eyes at each other I’d say _yes_.” Ashton snorted. “And when Luke comes rushing here as soon as you’re out of the door, I’ll tell him exactly the same.”

Calum groaned again, hiding his face in his hands as Ashton kept silently chuckling. Well. If he said so, maybe Calum did have a chance. He had felt something in the way Luke had looked at him, held his hand. The way he had smiled at him. But Calum had always been horrible in detecting when someone was legit into him, so he could never be sure. He was sure of one thing, though. He wanted to see Luke again.

“I’ll drop by on Friday after work then.”

“Great.”

* * *

“Why are you freaking out again?” Michael asked, his face peering at him upside down from where he was hanging out in Calum’s bed, feet propped up on the wall. His face looked weird like this, Calum thought before turning back to his wardrobe.

“Because this guy’s a literal angel.” The younger muttered, rummaging through his clothes in search of something that could make him stand up, but he was coming up empty-handed. “Like Mike, his eyes were so fucking _blue_ , you can’t even begin to _understand_.”

“Oh yeah, he’s a white walker. What else?”

Calum resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Michael’s disinterested tone, instead choosing to go on, trying to make Michael understand.

“He’s fit as fuck, beautiful. His laughter is so _cute_ , Mike.” Calum went on, taking out a polka dot shirt and looking down at himself, throwing it back down onto the discarded heap of clothes. He was seeing fewer and fewer options as time went on, and the shop’s acoustics sets almost always started around 7, which had to be right about... then, he realised when his eyes fell on his clock. Thank god he lived right down the street from it. “I tell you, he looked like an angel. His skin even _glowed_.”

“Oh, I get it now.” Michael hummed. “You asked to be let off earlier from work because you had a date with an angel. Yeah. Makes sense.”

“I didn’t say I had a _date._ ”

Michael snorted at that. “Ashton called it a date yesterday.”

“What?” Calum exclaimed, turning back to Michael as his heart went up to his throat.

“He was talking on the phone to someone. He mentioned you having agreed to a date?”

“A date? I didn’t agree to a date. Shit. Shit, Mikey. Am I going on a date?”

“Don’t look at me, I haven’t even met the guy.” Michael shrugged, letting his legs fall back down on the bed and rolling on his side so he was facing Calum directly again. “Just calm down, you freak.” He chuckled, and Calum felt himself grow dizzy. “Whoever this guy is, I’m sure it’s not worth you having a meltdown.”

Yeah. Calming down. Easy. Breathe in, breathe out. Eaaaasy.

It wasn’t fucking _easy_.

It took five more minutes to pick out an outfit, Michael finally helping out, and a quick trip to the bathroom to brush his teeth and make his hair somewhat presentable –not much he could do there, having just buzzed it a couple of weeks ago–. And then it took him another five minutes to reach the store because Michael kept being a little shit and making pit stops on the way because there were cute dogs. And don’t mistake Calum. He was always the first to stop to give a good pet to any dog he crossed paths with, but right now he couldn’t see past Luke’s beautiful smile and sparkling eyes and yeah. Calum was going completely insane and beginning to sound like a pathetic loser. He hated crushes. They made him feel so good but so... angsty at the same time. Not great.

He just wanted to skip over this part until he was like, kissing Luke against a wall or something. Or having dinner on a cute restaurant and holding his hand. Both options sounded incredibly good. But he realised he was getting waaay ahead of himself. He had to wait to see Luke again, yeah. That was a good, realistic goal. Talking to him again. Cool. _He could do this_.

* * *

He couldn’t do it. Michael had to force him through the doors of the shop in the end because he backed down in the last moment, saying he’d rather go back to his flat where he could just daydream about Luke. That would have been a safer option. Michael had just shaken his head at him and pushed him forward, muttering about how he couldn’t believe how stupid he was being. So when Calum finally came in, he barely registered how much more crowded the place was from its usual twenty-something people. There was a soft melody coming from the back of the store, where Calum knew the small stage –more like an inch-raised platform– was. And then he frowned, cocking his head to the right as he tried to spy who was singing. Michael beat him to it, though, stepping quickly around one of the shelves and eyes widening comically.

“You knew Ashton could play?” Michael hissed to him.

“Nope.”

They walked in silence towards the few seats left unoccupied. They were lucky. Calum’s usual table was free, and they both tried to sit down as quietly as possible. The black-haired boy’s boots still squeaked on the floor as he slid down towards his seat, and he brought the attention of a few other people, including Ashton, who smiled at them from the stage. And then when he had finally settled and was trying to calm his rapidly beating heart, he felt a tap on his shoulder, making him jump.

“Shit.” He muttered, turning around and coming face to face with Luke, the younger’s teeth shining in the low light as they reflected the lighting coming from the stage. He was sitting right behind them, and Calum cursed at Ashton probably having told him where he usually took a seat. That had to be it.

Luke’s smile grew even bigger when Calum locked eyes with him, and he felt the little breath he had leaving his mouth in a sigh.

“Hi.” Luke smiled at him, biting his lower lip.

Calum didn’t know how to answer, gaping at Luke how he was. The blonde was wearing his hair in a man bun, glittery eyeshadow making his eyes seem even brighter, something that looked like a fucking silver choker glinting on his neck. Fuck.

“Hi, I’m Michael.”

A hand came in between Luke’s face and Calum’s, and for a moment Calum wanted to murder his best friend’s ass, but then he sighed again and thank whoever was listening that he wasn’t alone in this, because he was sure more than twenty seconds had passed since Luke said hi until Michael cut in. He really was hopeless.

“Luke.”

Calum watched, still gaping, how the blonde offered his hand to Michael, before finally shaking himself out of whatever state he had been in and replying to Luke.

“Hi. Are we too late?” He whispered, and his heart gave a lurch when Luke leaned over the top of his chair to answer to him.

“Nah, Ashton just started.”

“Cool.”

“Yeah.”

Calum turned back to look at the stage, Ashton still singing, and tried to school his face into something resembling a normal expression. He could still feel Luke breathing just behind him, though. That didn’t scream calmness, and his heart took it as its cue to start beating rapidly again. He heard Michael chuckle to his right, like the shithead he was, and when Calum turned his head towards him his best friend was unashamedly looking at him with an amused expression, mirth in his eyes. He couldn’t tell Michael to go to hell with Luke so close, so he chose to extend his hand and pinch him hard in the thigh. Michael’s hiss was barely audible, but at least that got him to stop staring and turn his attention back to the stage.

Michael slipped away from his seat as soon as Ashton changed songs, excusing himself quietly to go get them drinks. But the stupid ass he called best friend didn’t leave just like that, no. He first stopped to make room for Luke at their table, beckoning him to come closer. Calum refused to turn around while he heard the blonde dragging the chair towards theirs, fitting it in between both the armchairs, sending Calum a smile as he sat back down. He was much closer now. So close Calum could see his eyes clearly, the blue as striking as it had been two days ago when they had first met each other.

“You come here often, you said?” Luke whispered, a kind smile making its way to his face.

Calum nodded.

“I try to. Like the vibe.”

“Ashton has a good eye for talent.”

“A good voice too, it seems.” Calum whispered back just as Ashton started singing again.

“Yeah.” Luke agreed.

And then they fell silent. Calum felt as nervous as he had ever felt around another person, and he couldn’t exactly understand why. He didn’t _know_ Luke. He’d usually only crush on people he did know, but this time was different. It was like, crush at first sight.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he silently cursed at himself, feeling like an idiot for having forgotten to put it on silent mode. It was a text from Michael.

**_Ok, you were right. He does look otherworldly. But I don’t understand why you haven’t fucking done anything. Snap out of it!_ **

****

_Shut up, I’m trying_

_He’s too pretty_

_Help_

**_What do you want me to do? He clearly wants you, Cal, it doesn’t get easier than that_ **

****

_I don’t know. Tell me what to do._

**_Just be calm, yeah? From what I see from here he hasn’t taken his eyes out of you. Calm down._ **

Okay. Calming down. Easier said than done. Especially knowing not only Ashton but now also Michael believed he had a chance with someone like Luke.

He redirected his gaze towards Ashton. Well. He tried. Luke’s cologne was reaching his nose and _what the actual fuck_. Couldn’t there be anything about the dude that didn’t make Calum feel attracted to him? He smelled fucking _heavenly_. And he looked beautiful. And his voice was flawless and deep and he was insanely cute to Calum and ugh. This train of thought didn’t help much to his frayed nerves, and that Michael came through holding three cups of coffee for them didn’t help either, because he also came back with a huge ass smirk that rivalled Ashton’s onstage. Calum made a face back to them both and sank on his seat, taking a deep breath as he tried to calm his beating heart, but… when he looked back up he crossed eyes with Luke and he simply couldn’t do it.

He had crossed like three words with Luke today, just small talk, so, what the fuck. Why was Calum feeling like a freaking shit, his heart on his throat, his palms sweaty as he clutched the armrests of the armchair? His eyes fell to Luke’s hands, clutching the edges of his seat, white, and when he looked back up, the blonde seemed nervous too. Calum couldn’t exactly comprehend how he could make someone else nervous, but it still felt calming in a weird way. He wasn’t alone. Luke was feeling nervous too because of some weird chance of the universe.

Halfway through Ashton’s set, countless smiles and shy looks later, he felt Luke extending his hand towards his armrest, leaving it facing upwards like a silent invitation. That was what that was, right? He had been glancing at Calum before that, often enough, but now it seemed like he was intent on looking forward as the next performer took the stage. Calum was torn between continuing as before, or taking up what he thought was an open invitation. He really wasn’t sure if he was reading the situation correctly.

He looked behind Luke and towards Michael, slouched on his chair, and tried to get his attention. Thanks to some weird alignment of the planets, it wasn’t difficult, and in less than a minute, his eyes met Michael’s. The older mouthed a ‘what’ towards him, frowning, and Calum intently glanced down towards Luke’s hand, still open. Calum thanked god this performer had brought an electric guitar for their set, because it masked the way Michael’s mouth hissed an _‘Idiot’_ as he raised both his hands and pointing towards Calum, then Luke, before clasping them both together, shaking his head in disbelief. Calum would shake his head in disbelief too, if he was watching Michael being as incompetent as he was being.

Calum took a deep breath, nodding quickly to Michael as the older sighed and rolled his eyes, going back to watching the set. He could do this. He could hold Luke’s hand. It wasn’t like Calum had never had someone’s hand to hold before, it was just that… It had been some time.

The stupid butterflies had come back to life in Calum’s stomach, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest as he slowly inched his hand from his thigh towards Luke’s, his fingers trembling as they slid around the armchair. His hand hovered over Luke’s for a moment, Calum closing his eyes and begging to whoever was listening that he and Michael hadn’t read the situation wrong.

The way Luke’s breath hitched when he finally let his hand rest on top of his came as a surprise to Calum, who still couldn’t believe Luke could feel nervous around someone like _him_ , but at least when the blonde squeezed his hand and thread their fingers together, Calum knew he hadn’t misread the situation. He was making a conscious job of not looking up towards Luke, though, because he knew if their eyes crossed it would probably be the end of the somewhat cool stage he had achieved. Holding hands was good. Good step. Primary school level step, but it was something. And by the way it was affecting Calum, he doubted he could handle anything greater at that moment.

The girl on stage was singing some corny power ballad from when Calum was a teenager, and it was bringing him back. He was feeling thirteen again, with a stupid crush, his heart going a million miles an hour just because he was holding hands with someone he barely knew. Someone he felt incredibly –and impossibly– attracted to. It was weird how just a simple touch could make his mind go into overdrive, thinking about all the possibilities of Luke liking him back could entail. He wanted to know more about him. Wanted to know what made him laugh, and what made him cry. Wanted to know what he did for a living, what were his dreams.

Now that he had Luke so close, Calum couldn’t help but let his eyes wander over him, taking in what he was wearing, his body, his scent. He was just now noticing just how much of the guy’s chest was out for view. His buttons were only made up to half of the shirt, red fabric shining as it reflected the surrounding lights. Calum felt himself drawn in like a moth to the light. And the amount of skin out for his eyes made him bite his lip again.

He could feel Luke’s eyes on him, he could _feel_ them. And he still didn’t look up to meet them. Instead he slid them over every single inch of skin out for view, from their linked hands to Luke’s collarbones, his broad shoulders making Calum feel small in his own body –and he wasn’t exactly small–. He trailed his gaze upwards slowly, his eyes zeroing in on the blonde’s lips, catching him biting his lower lip right over where the two dark dots revealed an old place for a lip ring. And then he finally raised them up, looking for Luke’s, finding the blue eyes already staring at him, making a breath escape his lungs in a sigh, his hand squeezing down on Luke’s.

“Hi.” Luke whispered.

Calum suddenly noticed how close they both were, how clear he could see the different shades of blue making up Luke’s eyes. It sent his heart on another wild gallop, heartbeat echoing on his ears.

“Hey.” He whispered back.

It made Luke’s eyes crinkle a bit at the edges, and when Calum glanced down, his lips were stretched to accommodate a smile.

“Set’s over.” Luke giggled, and Calum snapped his head around, suddenly noticing that yeah, set was over, and the singer was already picking up her stuff from the stage as the few people that had lingered until the end crawled out of the shop.

“When did that happen?” He frowned, getting up slowly but not letting go of Luke’s hand.

The blond let out a short laugh, mirth brightening up his eyes as he stared up at him, giving Calum’s hand a squeeze before following him up, standing right in front of him.

“I believed it was sometime between you staring at my chest and you staring at my lips.” Luke muttered, and Calum would have been even more embarrassed than he felt in that moment if he hadn’t seen how cutely Luke’s cheeks filled with red as he relayed the answer to him. It made Calum’s heart beat happily in his chest, that a simple look could make Luke feel this flustered.

“I guess I was too caught up in how beautiful you are.” Calum muttered.

And despite his genuine want to say so, he felt himself grow redder in the cheeks, embarrassment making him cower and take a step back. But as soon as he had, trying to hide his face in his own chest, eyes staring down at the floor, Luke squeezed his hand and took a step closer to him, his free hand coming up to tenderly raise Calum’s head by his chin.

“You’re beautiful too.” The taller murmured, a tiny smile on his lips.

Calum felt his heartbeat quicken again, mad with all the times it had gone back to calmness only to begin beating like crazy in a fraction of a second, starting the process all over again. Luke’s hand holding his chin had slid towards his neck, cradling his face softly. His thumb was caressing circles on Calum’s cheek, and he felt himself leaning in towards the touch.

He distantly heard the last of the chatter dying away as the front door closed, the second performer giving her thanks to Ashton before leaving too. He was just too focused on Luke, his eyes sparkling in the low light, his breath hitting Calum’s face, his thumb slowly caressing his face, making even the littlest of hairs back in Calum’s neck stand straight up.

“They look like two puppies trying to court each other.” Calum heard Michael whisper to Ashton, but he tuned it out.

His heart was beating furiously inside his chest, the rhythm of its heartbeat drowning their friend’s chatter around them with how loud it resonated in Calum’s ears. The hand Luke was still holding in his was twitching out of nervousness. And yet, the taller hadn’t let go, and he hadn’t broken the gaze. He was leaning slightly forward, his breath hitting Calum’s lips, making him let out a sigh. He could even feel Luke’s lips just a hair’s breadth away. One millimetre forward and they would be kissing, the knowledge of which left Calum dizzy and unsteady on his feet –more than he was feeling already, anyway–, his left hand flying forward towards Luke’s hip, anchoring itself there.

“I’m never this forward.” He heard Luke whisper.

“Me either.” Calum answered, his voice wavering. He tried smiling at Luke, his hand squeezing the other man’s.

There was _something_ hanging in the air between them, a sort of electricity, and Calum only felt it grow as he leaned closer towards the blonde. This time their lips did touch, but Calum felt himself unable to do anything else, his eyes still trapped in Luke’s ocean blues. And then the blonde closed his, right hand cradling Calum closer by his grip on his neck, making Calum’s breath leave him in a shudder just before the blonde closed the distance between them completely.

Calum stayed still for the length of exactly three seconds before letting out a quiet moan and melting against Luke, letting the taller man take the lead.

It wasn’t rushed. Luke seemed to be taking care of going slowly, just a tender brush of their his lips. It didn’t take long for Luke to take it further, if albeit still being careful, by gently licking Calum’s lower lip, silently begging for the kiss to deepen. Calum felt his knees buckle underneath him, Luke letting go of his hand to slip his arm around Calum’s waist, holding him up. And then…

And then they were properly kissing, Calum letting out little whines he was sure in any other moment he would have felt embarrassed about, but right now… he absolutely didn’t care. Kissing Luke felt positively phenomenal. His mind was somewhere in between overdrive and nothingness, his whole body set to fire, its warmth only spreading even more when he pushed his tongue inside Luke’s mouth and got to draw a moan out of the blonde.

He was lost in it, lost in the feeling, the electricity spreading through his veins, the smell of Luke’s cologne hitting him full force, the weight of the taller’s hand resting on his waist, squeezing. Calum was so lost in it, that when Luke finally let the kiss die, slowly, he felt wobbly on his feet, his whole weight falling forward towards Luke’s, his eyes remaining closed as he tried to calm his furiously beating heart.

There was some slow clapping coming from somewhere near them, and Calum groaned before opening his eyes. He already knew who he was going to find standing there. He wasn’t wrong, he noticed, as he stared right up to Michael and Ashton on the counter, Michael propped up on it and Ashton casually leaning against it.

“Now that your tongues are acquainted with each other, what do you say we go out for some drinks so we can all get acquainted in a more friendship-ly manner?” Michael suggested, a wolfish grin almost swallowing his whole face as Calum felt his cheeks redden. He didn’t let go of Luke, though, instead choosing to stay like he was, his head finding rest on the crook of the blonde’s neck. By the way Luke tightened his hold on him, Calum thought he welcomed it.

“I’m up for it.” Luke piped in, and even when he wasn’t looking at him, Calum knew he was smiling.

It was weird how he knew that just by the tone of his voice when they hadn’t even known each other for more than a couple days. Strange how he felt like he had known Luke for _years_ even if they had only talked for the full expanse of just fifteen minutes tops. It was strange, but he didn’t care.

“I’m up for it, too.” He sighed, extracting himself from Luke’s arms so he could look up to him, a shy smile on his lips. “I think _we_ should get to know each other.” And then he added in a whisper, “I know I’d like to get to know _you_.”

“Yeah, me too.” Luke smiled back, his eyes sparkling. It made Calum let out a gleeful giggle.

“Perfect.” Ashton piped in from behind the counter. “Just please, for the love you bear us, don’t suck face in front of us ever again.” He pleaded, a joking lilt to his voice. “It was painful.”

“No promises.” Calum joked right back, delighted when it brought a bright giggle out of Luke.

“No promises.” The taller echoed, a beautiful smile taking hold of his face.

Michael groaned at them, but Calum could only pay attention to Luke’s giggles and the fact that, even when he had gone back to standing on his own, Luke had left his hand on his waist, and didn’t seem like he was planning on taking it back. It made Calum smile back to him, his heart happy and full.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this!


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